ULTRALIGHTRUNNINGGEAR

ULTRALIGHT RUNNING GEAR

Text: Olof Lange / Photo: Emelie Voltaire

If cut-down gear is a plus for hikers, it’s a necessity for those who run long distances through forests and mountain ranges. If you’ve never run with a pack, even a short sprint will quickly show you how extra weight tires you out. But how do you make light gear even lighter?

Running garments and gear aren’t overly heavy, but it’s often challenging to pack for overnighters while keeping your pack light enough to run with. It takes experience, careful consideration about what you truly need and which tools work best at the lowest possible weight. Smart solutions and advanced materials are the last steps for a featherweight pack. Ultralight running magazines might focus on the gear, but the end goal is a lighter step and a focus on your performance and experiences on the trail.

With a base weight of 2870g, you see here a really light kit for overnight stays, ready to be packed in the backpack. Ultra-light tarp and a sleeping system consisting of elephant foot, down jacket and bivouac bag easily fit in a 25 litre backpack for running and easy hiking. Add food, energy supplements, any sleeping clothes and the clothes you wear on your body. Test the borders or erase them completely.

Out and about

Lighterisn’talwaysbetter

Your most important piece of gear is, without a doubt, your shoes. It’s been said that carrying 1 kg on your feet is the same as carrying 5 kg on your back. So, should you just buy the lightest pair you can find? Well, maybe not – the right choice for you will always be determined by comfort. This gets even more important the further you run – a somewhat thicker sole with more cushioning might help you cope with longer distances despite the extra weight. Gram chasing and research can be fascinating but not always productive. It’s not a given that the same gear and methods that make hiking lighter (which is often the focus of blogs and forums) are suitable for running. Ultralight hiking backpacks, for example, don’t have the fit and construction to sit securely while running, and a somewhat ‘heavier’ running backpack can handle the weight better and be far more comfortable. A foam sleeping pad is light, robust and affordable but somewhat bulky for runners, while an inflatable sleeping pad is still light and will take up less packing volume.

Doubleuporgohalves

Multi-purpose gear is a great way to save weight but usually requires some fiddling that might not work well during a run: imagine running with a poncho tarp as a rain cover, flapping around your legs! A hard-shell jacket will perform better and can also provide warmth and cover on top of your sleeping bag foot box. On the other hand, a tube scarf like a Buff is always useful! Arm warmers are a good option instead of an extra shirt and are easy to put on and take off while running. Do you take off your warm down jacket after dinner to crawl into your sleeping bag? Keep the jacket on and use it as part of your sleep system, perhaps combined with an ‘elephant foot’ – a light sleeping bag that only covers the lower part of your body.

Hut-to-huttours,anaccessiblemiddleground

If you dream of doing longer distances in the mountains, without the pressure of carrying (or buying) all that camping equipment, then mountain huts are a fantastic resource along the trail or as a base for day tours. Even if you plan on sleeping in huts, you should always carry a sleeping bag and a tarp or bivy bag to survive a night outside in case of an emergency or bad weather. On smaller, more local trails without mountain huts, you can always plan the tour around wind shelters, skip the tent and take only a sleeping bag.

Campingalongthetrail

A truly reliable lightweight shelter requires thoughtful design, minimal features, and super-light materials; the lightest one-person tents are around 500 grams! You can make them even lighter by trimming off material until you’re left with only a tarp or bivy bag. When it comes to sleep systems, there’s no way to cheat the weather, but if you choose a three-quarter-length sleeping pad and combine it with a backpack underneath your legs while sleeping, you may save yet another couple of precious grams. The elephant foot and jacket solution is inspired by alpine tours and hardcore climbing projects and works best inside a bivy bag. So, where does it end? If you miss out on sleep and recovery time, your running will suffer the next day, but more training and experience will help you find a balance. If you’re out with others, you can all maximise your packing efficiency by sharing better gear. Extreme races are more fun in groups, and you can keep each other motivated when the going gets tough.

Homeward bound

Even if you’re not running ultra-marathons or mountain races, you can still shave off a few grams for your everyday runs. Put a pep in your step with thin-soled lightweight shoes when you don’t need as much cushioning and comfort as you do on longer runs. These shoes help strengthen your foot muscles, but read up on the topic and don’t go all in too soon on minimalist shoes. Running tights with pockets can carry all you need for a few hours running, including drinks and snacks. Leave the cell phone at home and rely on your training watch, or – if you dare – no watch at all.

Lighterthanlight

Some materials are so light and strong that they almost feel like cheating. But you can’t make an omelette without breaking eggs, and gear like this is expensive. Let’s have a look at three super materials.

UHMWPE (Dyneema or Cuben fibre) is a thin and stiff synthetic fibre that’s highly durable and often used in the climbing world. Dyneema is incredibly strong for its weight and was originally designed for sails, with a thin laminated plastic outer that doesn’t stretch the way textile does, perfect for ultralight tents or tarps.

CARBON FIBRE is very stiff and has high tensile strength, but it can be fragile and once it’s cracked or broken, it’s useless. Therefore, some choose aluminium instead; it’s a bit heavier but can be bent back into shape after it gets damaged. Carbon fibre tent poles and hiking poles marry elasticity with fragility and are still among the lightest options, which may help you shave off those last grams before a competition.

GRAPHENE is a ‘new’ super material; it’s not only extremely thin (a single layer of carbon atoms in a honeycomb pattern) but stronger than Superman himself. It also conducts electricity! Rubber can be fused with graphene to make ultralight equipment that’s strong and durable. In the future, we expect to see graphene in more and more products and areas of usage, like clothes with integrated electronics rather than a separate heart-rate monitor.